D.O.
Supportive Care Medicine Physician
D.O, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA
Internal Medicine – College Medical Center, Long Beach, CA
In his roles as a supportive care physician and the assistant director of the Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine Fellowship at City of Hope® Cancer Center Duarte, Eric Mecusker, D.O., is devoted to connecting with patients on a personal level and inspiring current and future physicians to do the same.
Dr. Mecusker’s clinical teaching has earned him multiple honors, including recognition during his internal medicine residency and the 2023 HOPE Colleague Award from the Department of Supportive Care Medicine, recognizing physicians who exemplify City of Hope’s values and mission. After earning his osteopathic medical degree from Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific in Pomona, California, Dr. Mecusker completed an internal medicine residency at College Medical Center in Long Beach, California, and was part of the inaugural class of City of Hope’s Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship, led by Director Sorin Buga, MD.
Dr. Mecusker’s path to medicine began at age 12, when he wrote a poem about his dream of becoming a doctor. That dream became a calling two years later, when his mother was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer and passed away just shy of a year later. This deeply personal experience shaped his understanding of what it means to be a palliative care physician and gave him a profound empathy for patients and families navigating serious illness.
To Dr. Mecusker, palliative medicine goes beyond managing pain and symptoms—it’s about forming meaningful relationships, discussing hopes for the future and supporting patients and families through every step of their journey. He also takes pride in his osteopathic background, providing osteopathic manipulative medicine to eligible patients as a “hands-on” complement to conventional treatment.